Doctors treating Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon after extensive brain surgery say they can not offer a full prognosis until after the stricken leader is gradually awakened from anesthesia.
Speaking Thursday, after neurosurgeons completed a seven-hour operation, the director of Hadassah University Hospital (Shlomo Mor-Yosef) said Mr. Sharon could remain sedated in intensive care for as long as 72 hours.
He said the stroke affected the right side of Mr. Sharon's brain, and said neither cognitive functions nor motor tests can be evaluated until the sedation is lifted. He called the stroke significant and said it triggered extensive hemorrhaging.
Mr. Sharon was rushed to the Jerusalem hospital Wednesday night, after falling ill at his ranch in the Negev desert. He suffered a minor stroke in December, and had been scheduled to undergo a heart catheterization procedure today to plug a tiny hole that doctors diagnosed during his recovery last month.
The hospital said it has been inundated with tributes, prayers and expressions of support for Mr. Sharon from around the world.
Speaking Thursday, after neurosurgeons completed a seven-hour operation, the director of Hadassah University Hospital (Shlomo Mor-Yosef) said Mr. Sharon could remain sedated in intensive care for as long as 72 hours.
He said the stroke affected the right side of Mr. Sharon's brain, and said neither cognitive functions nor motor tests can be evaluated until the sedation is lifted. He called the stroke significant and said it triggered extensive hemorrhaging.
Mr. Sharon was rushed to the Jerusalem hospital Wednesday night, after falling ill at his ranch in the Negev desert. He suffered a minor stroke in December, and had been scheduled to undergo a heart catheterization procedure today to plug a tiny hole that doctors diagnosed during his recovery last month.
The hospital said it has been inundated with tributes, prayers and expressions of support for Mr. Sharon from around the world.